Panel mounted adjustable pressure electrical contact



D 1965 RYUKICHI MOTEGI 3,226,521

PANEL MOUNTED ADJUSTABLE PRESSURE ELECTRICAL CONTACT Filed July 11, 1963FIG.|

PRIOR ART :2; 3 7 F G. 3 F

United 1 This invention relates to a panel mounted ad ustable pressureelectrical contact. More particularly, the invention relates to a panelmounted adjustable pressure electrical contact in a small-sizedtelevision tuner in which the oscillating coil is switched by arotatable disc.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a new andimproved panel mounted adjustable pressure electrical contact.

In order that the present invention may be readily carried into eifect,it will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing,wherein:

FIG. 1 is an embodiment of a known type of rotatable electrical contact;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective presentation of an embodiment of thepanel mounted adjustable pressure electrical contact of the presentinventon; and

FIG. 3 is a view, partly in section, of the embodiment of FIG. 2 inassembled condition.

In the contact mechanism of a rotatable tuner of known type, as shown inFIG. 1, silver ball contact 2 is planted in the insulator board 1 andhas contact with the spring contact 3 spaced separately. Wear andexhaustion of spring and other inconveniences sometimes cause poorelectrical contact. In order to make a tuner small sized, it isadvisable to utilize a rotatable disc.

In a small-sized tuner in which the space is restricted, contacts aremade small, so that defects similar to those of known type arise.

In this invention, in order to eliminate these defects, the smallcontact is pressed by a helical spring from the opposite side of therotatable disc contact, and it is possible to adjust the helical springpressure from the front panel of the tuner.

In FIG. 2, 3 shows the fixed contact, 4 insulator piece, 5 pressingspring, 6 boss, 7 contact pressure adjusting screw and 8 insulator basemember. The panel mounted adjustable pressure electrical contact of thepresent invention comprises these 6 components, which are set up andattached as shown in FIG. 3.

In FIG. 3, a rotatable disc 10 includes rotary contacts 9 positioned onthe peripheral surface of said disc. The rotatable disc 11 is affixed toa shaft 14 and rotates with said shaft. Oscillating coils 12 and coiladjusting screws 13 are mounted on the rotatable disc 10. Oscillatingcoils 12 are electrically connected to rotary contacts 9. In order toconnect said oscillating coils to the oscillator circuit, fixed contact3 and rotary contacts 9 are placed in electrical contact with each otherand a lead wire (not shown) from the fixed contact 3 is connected to theoscillator circuit.

The insulator piece 4, the fixed contact 3, pressing spring 5, boss 6and contact pressure adjusting screw 7 are assembled in a cavity of saidinsulator base member 8. The said contact pressure adjuting screw 7 isthreaded in the insulator base member 8 and abuts the boss 6. Thehelical spring 5 is supported by the projection e of the insulator piece4 and the boss 6.

Fixed contact 3 is fixed by a bolt through the hole a of insulator basemember 8 and pressed into electrical contact with the rotary contacts 9by the insulator piece 4 which is in turn urged toward the contacts 9 bythe helical spring 5. The pressure applied by the spring 5 is adjustedby the boss 6 which is shifted by the contact pressure adjusting screw 7which is in turn threaded in hole 0. The adjustable pressure electricalcontact of the present invention is mounted on the tuner front panel 11by fixed screw 15 threaded in a tap d of the insulator base member 8.The contact pressure adjusting screw is adjusted from the front throughthe hole 16 of the front panel 11 and controls the contact pressurebetween fixed contact 3 and rotary contacts 9.

An advantage of the panel mounted adjustable pressure electrical contactof the present invention is that it may use contact material which hassmall elasticity but high conductivity. Another advantage of theelectrical contact of the present invention is that the operator is ableto control the contact pressure between the fixed contact 3 and therotary contacts 9 with ease by means of adjusting the contact pressureadjusting screw 7 from the front panel of the tuner. Furthermore, poorelectrical contact does not occur because in the structure of thisinvention the elasticity of the contact itself has no relation to theforce needed for contact. Also, the switching contact mechanism may beof such small size that it never influences the arrangement of the othercomponents.

What is claimed is:

1. A panel mounted adjustable pressure electrical contact forelectrically contacting a rotatable electrical contact positioned inproximity with a panel, said adjustable pressure electrical contactcomprising a panel;

a rotatable electrical contact positioned in proximity with said panel;

base means of electrically insulating material afiixed to said panel;

fixed electrical contact means supported by said base means in closeproximity with said rotatable electrical contact;

helical spring means supported by said base means in contact at one endwith said fixed electrical contact means, said spring means applyingpressure to said fixed electrical contact in a direction toward saidrotatable electrical contact thereby urging said fixed and rotatablecontacts into electrical contact with each other; and

pressure adjusting means mounted in said base means in contact with theother end of said spring means for adjusting the pressure applied bysaid spring means to said fixed electrical contact, said pressureadjusting means being positioned in close proximity with said panel andbeing operable at said panel.

2. A panel mounted adjustable pressure electrical contact forelectrically contacting a rotatable electrical contact of a rotatabledisc positioned in operative proximity with an equipment panel having anequipment side and an opposite out side, said adjustable pressureelectrical contact comprising an equipment panel;

a rotatable electrical contact positioned in operative proximity withsaid equipment panel;

base means for electrically insulating material affixed to the equipmentside of said panel;

fixed electrical contact means supported by said base means in closeproximity with said rotatable electrical contact;

helical spring means supported by said base means in contact at one endwith said fixed electrical contact means, said spring means applyingpressure to said fixed electrical contact in a direction toward saidrotatable electrical contact thereby urging said fixed and rotatablecontacts into electrical contact with each other, said helical springmeans comprising an electrical insulating member abutting said fixedelectrical contact, a boss movably mounted in said base means spacedfrom said electrical insulating member and a helical spring positionedbetween and supported by said electrical insulating member and saidboss; and

presure adjusting means mounted in said base means in contact with saidboss at the other end of said spring means for adjusting the pressureapplied by said spring means to said fixed electrical contact, saidpressure adjusting means being positioned in close proximity with saidequipment panel and being operable from the out side of said panel.

3. A panel mounted adjustable pressure electrical contact as claimed inclaim 2, wherein said equipment panel has an aperture formedtherethrough from the equipment side to the out side thereof, andwherein said pressure adjusting means comprises an elongated membermounted in said base means and extending through the aperture formedthrough said panel.

4. A panel mounted adjustable pressure electrical contact as claimed inclaim 3, wherein said pressure adjusting means comprises a threadedelongated member threadedly engaged with said base means and extendingthrough the aperture formed through said panel, one end of saidelongated member being in contact with said boss and the other end beingrotatable about the axis of said elongated member from the out side ofsaid panel.

5. A panel mounted adjustable pressure electrical contact forelectrically contacting a rotatable electrical contact of'a rotatabledisc of television tuning equipment including an oscillating coilelectrically connected to said rotatable electrical contact, saidrotatable electrical contact being positioned in operative proximitywith an equipment panel having an equipment side and an opposite outside, said adjustable pressure electrical contact comprising anequipment panel;

a rotatable electrical contact positioned in operative proximity withsaid equipment panel;

base means of electrically insulating material aflixed to the equipmentside of said panel;

fixed electrical contact means supported by said base means in closeproximity with said rotatable electrical contact;

helical spring means supported by said base means in contact at one endwith said fixed electrical contact means, said spring means applyingpressure to said fixed electrical contact in a direction toward saidrotatable electrical contact thereby urging said fixed and rotatablecontacts into electrical contact with each other, said helical springmeans comprising an electrical insulating member abutting said fixedelectrical contact, a boss' movably mounted in said base means spacedfrom said electrical insulating member and a helical spring positionedbetween and supported by said electrical insulating member and saidboss; and

pressure adjusting means mounted in said base means in contact with saidboss at the other end of said spring means for adjusting the pressureapplied by said spring means to said fixed electrical contact, saidpressure adjusting means being positioned in close proximity with saidequipment panel and being operable from the out side of said panel.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,914,625 11/1959Heveran 200--l66 KATHLEEN H. CLAFFY, Primary Examiner.

BERNARD A GILHEANY, Examiner.

HERMAN O. JONES, Assistant Examiner.

1. A PANEL MOUNTED ADJUSTABLE PRESSURE ELECTRICAL CONTACT FORELECTRICALLY CONTACTING A ROTATABLE ELECTRICAL CONTACT POSITIONED INPROXIMITY WITH APNEL, SAID AJUSTABLE PRESSURE ELECTRICAL CONTACTCOMPRISING A PANEL; A ROTATABLE ELECTRICAL CONTACT POSITIONED INPROXIMITY WITH SAID PANEL; BASE MEANS OF ELECTRICALLY INSULATINGMATERIAL AFFIXED TO SAID PANEL; FIXED ELECTRICAL CONTACT MEANS SUPPORTEDBY SAID BASE MEANS IN THE CLOSE PROXIMITY WITH SAID ROTATABLE ELECTRICALCONTACT; HELICAL SPRING MEANS SUPPORTED BY SAID BASE MEANS IN CONTACT ATONE END WITH SAID FIXED ELECTRICAL CONTACT MEANS, SAID SPRING MEANSAPPLYING PRESSURE TO SAID FIXED ELECTRICAL CONTACT IN A DIRECTION TOWARDSAID ROTATABLE ELECTRICAL CONTACTS INTO ELECTRICAL CONTACT WITH ANDROTATABLE CONTACTS INTO ELECTRICAL CONTACT WITH EACH OTHER; AND PRESSUREADJUSTING MEANS MOUNTED IN SAID BASE MEANS IN CONTACT WITH THE OTHER ENDOF SAID SPRING MEANS FOR ADJUSTING THE PRESSURE APPLIED BY SAID SPRINGMEANS TO SAID FIXED ELECTRICAL CONTACT, SAID PRESSURE ADJUSTING MEANSBEING POSITIONED IN CLOSE PROXIMITY WITH SAID PANEL AND BEING OPERABLEAT SAID PANEL.